Currently, end users have essentially two options for locating content relevant to a particular topic. Users may search for webpages relevant to a topic by entering keywords associated with the topic into a search engine and reviewing the search engine's results. However, because search engines typically index, and thus search, many millions of different webpages, users may have to review many search results in order to find webpages relevant to the topic they are searching for. For example, the information a user seeks may be located near the end of a long result list, and the user may give up before reaching it. Moreover, search engines typically determine webpages that are relevant to keywords through machine algorithms based primarily on textual analysis and rankings of pages based on the number of links to such pages from other webpages, rather than by human judgment.
Alternatively, if a user wishes to locate a webpage relevant to a given topic within a particular content provider's website—such as product or promotion being offered by an online retailer—the user may instead navigate directly to the content provider's website in order to search for relevant webpages. If the content provider's website provides search functionality, then the user may perform a search on the content provider's website for one or more keywords descriptive of the topic. However, often the user must still wade through search results in which webpages are listed based on machine algorithms, rather than a predetermined decision by the content provider as to which webpage should be definitively associated with a given topic. Or, if no such search functionality exists on the content provider's website, the user may need to simply explore the website through traditional web-navigation techniques, in which case the information sought may be buried under several menus or links, and thus may difficult for the user to find.
One solution to the above problem is the use of domain-specific, or in-site, keywords, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/982,145, which is presently assigned to the same assignee as the current application, and constitutes a part of this application as though set forth within. Through the use of in-site keywords, a content provider, such as a domain name owner, may compile in advance a list of keywords mapped to specific webpages on the content provider's website. For example, a user may enter a search tem—e.g., “dynamite”—in a navigation or keyword box provided on the “acmecorp.cc” website. Acme Corp. may have created a keyword “dynamite” that maps the search tem “dynamite” directly to a webpage that provides a list of explosives-related items available for purchase—e.g., “http://acmecorp.cc/acme/products/road_runner_accessories/weaponry/explosives.aspx”.
Thus, rather than presenting the user with a traditional list of search results for all webpages across the Acme Corp. website that contain the text “dynamite,” the user may instead be taken directly to the “explosives.aspx” webpage in response to entering the search term “dynamite” in the navigation or keyword box. This technique has advantage that the content provider itself may determine which webpage is most relevant to a given topic, which web users may rely on when searching a website for a particular product or promotion. It also has the advantage that it is not dependent on machine algorithms or keyword similarities, as the “explosives.aspx” webpage may not even contain the text “dynamite,” but instead may offer only TNT-related products. And, as further described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/982,145, search terms entered into such a navigation or keyword box may, in some circumstances, be serviced by a third-party service provider or resolution server, thus obviating the need for special configuration on the content provider's web servers.
However, even using the above approach, in some circumstances, users may still need to first navigate to the homepage or other webpage within the content provider's website in order to locate an in-site keywords box, and would also need to be able to determine whether a given search box utilizes the above approach or merely provides traditional text-based searching functionality. Therefore, a need exists for methods and systems for enabling users to request webpages using content provider- or domain-specific keywords in a more direct manner that may easily be employed for any website that implements site-specific keywords and that will have no impact on navigation within websites to that do not implement site-specific keywords.